Monday, November 08, 2010

Visiting Scouts

Yesterday, at our All-Age Celebration, we had some visitors. It was great to see them. I'm not sure how many came, but it was a good number, they filled three rows plus a bit so I guess there were about 30 or so. And they were the local Scout Group. So, for the first time in my ministry, we had scouts, cubs and beavers in church on Sunday! There were some parents too who came and stayed.

Our All-Age Celebrations are taking shape and I think we did quite a good job yesterday to keep the pace going and to do enough things to engage across a wide age range. I find it really sad that there are those who feel it's inappropriate to have everyone together once a month for a celebration. I find them hard to do and I'm not always comfortable with everything that an All-Age Celebration can be, but I think it's important that we figure out how to worship together so that the young can experience worship in a broader context.

I have to say that the scouts were really good yesterday. For most of them, Church is probably alien territory, but they paid attention, didn't fiddle about anymore than children usually do and seemed to enjoy themselves. We'll find out when we get some feedback later in the week.

And of course here's the big plus for me. We got to share something of the grace and love of God with  whole group if folk for whom it might just have been a very new experience. Whatever you say, for once we were doing what church ought always to be doing.

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